Evidence in most states indicates that staggering rates of non-compliance, as high as 100 percent in some jurisdictions, have eroded the gains from energy code development and adoption.

The projected national savings from bringing just a year’s worth of new residential and commercial construction in the U.S. up to full compliance is 2.8-7.9 quadrillion Btu annually, or $63-$174 million in annual energy cost savings.

This equates to lifetime savings of up to $37.1 billion for just five years of construction. The magnitude of the energy code-compliance problem presents a significant opportunity for policymakers and energy efficiency program administrators to save homeowners and businesses billions of dollars in energy costs simply by improving enforcement of existing building energy codes.